Setting The Coffee Grinder: The Ideal Degree of Grinding For Each Type

Setting the coffee grinder: why the degree of grinding is so important

The taste of a good coffee not only depends on the quality of the beans: the method of preparation and the degree of grinding with which you grind the beans also affect the aromas.

• If you grind coffee beans too coarsely, what is known as under-extraction will occur later during the brewing process. This means that the water passes through the coffee powder too quickly and can therefore get little taste out of it.
• Accordingly, under-extracted coffee often tastes like “not much”. The taste can best be described as sour.
• Conversely, if coffee is ground too finely, over-extraction will occur during brewing. So a lot of aromatic substances are released from the coffee powder. The coffee then tastes bitter and becomes slightly viscous in consistency.
• If you use a manual or an electric coffee grinder, you can adjust the degree of grinding with a slide control or a rotary knob. So you may have to try out which settings on your coffee grinder are the right ones. Some manufacturers already provide information on the ideal degree of grinding.
• So the motto is: grind the coffee beans, brew the coffee, try it, and, if necessary, further optimize it.

The most common types of coffee and their degree of grinding

The ideal degree of grinding depends above all on how you want to prepare your coffee or espresso. The amount of water and the amount of coffee powder that you should use for brewing also play an important role.

• Caffè americano from the hand filter: If you want to pour the coffee directly into the pot via a filter in a classic way, you should estimate 30-35 grams of coffee powder for half a liter of water. The grind should be a good middle ground between fine and coarse. The optimal brewing temperature is 96 degrees Celsius and your coffee should take about four minutes to brew.
• Filter coffee from the machine: If your filter coffee machine has a capacity of around 1.25 liters, you should add 75 grams of ground coffee. The degree of grinding should also be medium here. Not too fine, not too coarse. The optimal brewing temperature here is 95 degrees Celsius and you should aim for a throughput time of 5 minutes.
• Coffee from the espresso pot: Who doesn’t know the small aluminum espresso pots that inevitably remind you of a holiday in Italy? You need as much coffee powder as will fit in the sieve. The degree of grinding should be fine to medium-fine. You should fill up the preheated water up to the valve on the side of the jug.
• Heat the pot and remove the espresso from the heat as soon as it pours steadily into the upper half of the espresso maker – do not let the water get too hot.
• By the way: If you want to make cappuccino or latte macchiato, use espresso as the basis.

A coffee special: the Cold Crew Coffee

Coffee doesn’t always have to come from the coffee machine and it doesn’t always have to be enjoyed warm. Cold brew coffee is becoming increasingly popular but should be prepared properly for a balanced taste.

• For one liter of Cold Brew Coffee, you need about 100 grams of coarsely ground, high-quality coffee beans. Since cold brew is not normally heated, the quality of the beans can often be clearly seen from the taste.
• Put the coffee powder in a pot, pour in the water, and let the prepared coffee steep in a dark and cool place for at least 12, preferably 18 hours.
• Then pour the cold brew coffee through a coffee filter into glasses or a pot. Finally, add ice cubes.